James Bond Wears Omega Watch In 007: Blood Stone Video Game

While this is not exactly a surprise, it is pretty neat. James Bond has been wearing an Omega watch for a long time (since maybe 1995). The brand was able to usurp Rolex - as was the watch chosen by Ian Flemming originally. In the upcoming James Bond 007: Blood Stone video game, the digitized version of the Daniel Craig will wear a prominent Omega Seamaster Professional Ref. 22005000 watch. It is part of the Planet Ocean collection and has a retail price of $3,950. I believe that this is the same watch he wore in one of the recent movies. Perhaps Quantum of Solace.

The watch is a good look for Band (and anyone really), and is thankfully not one of the branded limited edition models made for the fact that 007 wears an Omega. The Seamsater Pro is a 45.5mm wide model and funny enough looks smaller on the digital character's wrist than it should given the size of the case. Unless I missed something and Daniel Craig has massive wrists. So imagine you have never seen the watch, play the game, and then go check one one out! You'd feel a bit puny. But they are are always the 42mm wide Seamaster versions for ya.

I like that Omega and Activision (the game publisher) decided to go with this model. Not complex, holds a lot of Omega DNA, and also looks good in pixels. Do you think the one in the game shoots lasers as well? One can hope so. The watch is on Bond's character the entire game, and feels like a natural form of product placement. At the same time, the developers modeled the watch to be highly detailed - meaning it was not just part of the character but something Omega specifically sponsored. I also have a feeling that James Bond will always see the watch as reading 10:10. Otherwise for graphical performance purposes the watch on the wrist would be much more simple for all but in-game scripted scenes.

If you want to know more a bout the game itself, well there are probably tons of sites around where you can read more about it and see videos of game play. The game will however be available to play on XBOX 360, Playstation 3, and PC for your gaming pleasure. Unlike many (many) movie-base video games, 007 ones haven't all been so bad. Think of the classic one Goldeneye. Your best bet to succeed if playing the James Bond 007: Blood Stone game? Wear an Omega yourself while playing a character wearing an Omega.

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Fueled by an unshakable love for horology and a general curiosity for intricate things, Ariel Adams founded aBlogtoWatch in 2007 as a means of sharing his passion. Since then, ABTW has become the highest trafficked blog on luxury timepieces, and Ariel has become a contributor to other online publications such as Forbes, Departures and Tech Crunch, to name just a few. His conversational writing style and inclusive attitude brings a wider appreciation for watches the world over, and that's just the way he likes it.
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I generally like Omega, but kind of agree with you on 007-branded watches. However, you do have to admit that 007 branding is actually way smarter/better/more inclusive than co-branding watches with car manufacturer's name/logo/etc.

Last James Bond game (Quantum of Solace) was surprisingly good (played on PS3, but haven't completed it... too little time) and this one has very positive reviews, so I do recommend checking it out. If you are a Bond fan, this is the best we are going to get for a couple of years since the new movie has been held up by MGM bankruptcy and won't come out until 2012.

I had the opportunity to try on this watch (the real one, not the pixelated) at the local Omega boutique. It is quite striking. I have to confess it was the Bond movies that brought me to Omega. I will be purchasing this watch as a reward as soon as my boss retires (finally).

Sometimes I wonder if Rolex regrets the fact that they lost Bond, but I doubt it. The reasoning is something like Rolex didn't care to sponsor watches for the brand because they didn't feel there was "anything in it for them". They most likely still don't, although they sure do put a lot of sponsorship into golf events. Is golf more popular than Bond? Must be.

I guess, Rolex moved away from being associated with particular celebrities (even James Bond) to being associated with certain lifestyles or endeavors. Just checked their site and there's no celebrity endorsement list, but instead this list under "Sports and Culture": skiing, the equestrian sports, exploration, the arts, golf, tennis, motor-sport, yachting.

Sure, those sections have lists of individuals, but even though I'm into sports, the only name I strongly associate with Rolex is Roger Federer. Maybe I just tune out the ads or what not, but - for example - I didn't even know Phil Mickelson was with Rolex.

I don't think it's about golf being more popular than bond, I think i'ts about the audience golf attracts. Bond movies and games attract mostly young people, golf on the other hand attracts an older crowd with more money to spend.

In a non-confrontational way, I think this stereotype is antiquated. Golf is no longer for the "older crowd"; it has attracted a primarily younger generation of fans and players in recent years. It is certainly no longer a game for fathers/grandfathers. I'm early 30's, have been playing for just about 5 years, and all my friends (and most of our female counterparts) are avid about golf as well.

It's good and bad. Good that the game gets all the new exposure - lots of new technology and courses sprouting up, bad because it's near impossible to get a good tee time on a favourable Sunday...